A few illustrations will be of interest: When I was going on duty one after noon, the Chief called my attention to a burglary in a grade school; the window had been jimmied open, the burglar had entered, taken a baseball and a violin worth $800.00. The culprit had made his exit through the window and later that day sold the baseball. When he was ap prehended, the violin was in his posses sion. Inasmuch as he was a juvenile, I went to the school, met the boy, and talked with him. He was only eight years of age! “ What could be done with a boy of that age?” is a question one might well ask. Naturally, I placed him on voluntary probation, although he did not understand what that meant. All I could do was to explain in the simplest lan guage possible the error of his ways, to try to point out to him how wicked was his crime, and what it would lead to. A case of an opposite nature is that of the four young men I found sitting in my office when I arrived on duty some years ago, with the Chief standing by telling them in no uncertain terms, with all the force that a man in his position can give to his words, that were it not for the fact that they had a chaplain, some of these boys would go to San Quentin im mediately. They had staged a well-plan ned burglary, with the proverbial “look out” across the road; they had drilled the locks to the door; they had reached in with their hands and unlatched the inside catch, had worked in and rifled various machines in a restaurant, and were in the act of breaking open the music box machine when (at 2 o’clock in the morning) the officers entered and caught them. Their ages were 16, 17, 17 and 18 years. These boys were turned over to me for questioning, investigation, and ad vice. After placing them on voluntary probation, I began a plan of procedure which they met with very arrogant at titudes. The leader was especially inso lent. After dealing with them about three months, this pose was broken down. All of the boys volunteered the admission that their act was one of utter folly and that they were glad they had been caught. I discovered that they had seen a burglary portrayed on the movie screen, and had decided that they could do a better job. At the end of three months, they had passed their period of probation and were released. The leader entered military service and made a splendid record overseas with the Marines. When he was discharged, his chaplain wrote me saying that he had confided to him all of his past and asked him'to write to me. Now that young man is a splendid citizen. No publicity was ever given to the four boys, and there is no police record other than the simple record of the probation period. But what of the cure for delinquency? I have one answer, and in it is found the only remedy for the cause of this pre vailing condition—it is Christ, the Sav iour of mankind. He alone can touch the heart of the individual. And so in all T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Is DELINQUENCY Juvenile?
By Chaplain Herbert G. Tovey, Capt. Montebello Police Department- Montebello, California
T HE youth of our nation—and the world, for that matter—have be come the center of an adverse pub licity which has so drummed the expres sion juvenile delinquency into our ears that we are actually getting used to it. The word juvenile has captivated our thinking, and so our accusations point to ward youth delinquency rather than to ward the delinquency of youth.
reveals its deadly virus through the tender ignorance of young minds so susceptible to the promise of adventure without control. The young boy or girl entering life and marching through the later teen-age period, without the privi lege of discipline and kindly care, easily falls a victim to the evil suggestions of older criminally-disposed minds. It is then that they find themseves in some escapade which makes them “juvenile delinquents.” Much of this situation comes from the breeding ground of broken homes, apd homes where parents continually fight each other. Boys and girls are proud of their parents and naturally long for parental care and kindness; and when this is denied, many become arrogant, self-centered, and fall an easy prey to any suggestion that seems to provide a way out of this troublesome situation. For the most part, parents are igno rant of the seriousness of this condition, and when confronted with cases where their children are involved, will deny that their children are guilty. They will even accuse the authorities of being biased or of having a case against them. It is the local police department that receives the full impact of the crimes committed by juveniles, and police au thorities are frankly truthful, facing the situation as it is, irrespective of the social standing of the home from which the child comes. Because of this, the police department is a valuable asset to society and should not be criticized when obliged to tell the truth. The process of police correction, however, and the ad ministration of punishment, are but corrective measures. The police do not profess to give the reason for delinquen cy, but, whenever possible, they seek to help, through the co-operation of the various civic organizations and the min istry, to save young offenders from their error and from police records and pub licity. One of the most valuable helps that a city can have is a chaplain in the police department, or Christian juvenile offi cers. Mostly these are men, but they could be well-qualified and experienced women. It falls to my lot to be responsible for the Human Relations Department, and Chaplain of the Montebello, California, Police Department under the efficient leadership of Chief L. B. Maxwell. Many and varied have been my experiences, although my work with tfee department is limited to a few short hours each week.
. Chaplain Herbert G. Tovey Chaplain Tovey is a person of many gifts. Not only does he take an active interest in the work described in this article, but he is also Minister of Music for the Church of the Open Door and Director of the Music Department of the Bible Institute of Los Angelesi Of course, we do have a good deal of trouble with a certain type of boys and girls—so much so that serious legisla tion has been made in order to attempt to meet the situation. This youth prob lem is by no means a myth, but an actual fact. The real trouble, however, is not with youth as such, but with a more vicious and fundamental moral cancer with which this world is afflicted. We see the results of its rapid growth on every hand, and no one needs to be re minded that it is malignant. I speak of inbred sin. Juvenile delinquency is not a new thing; it is simply an old condition that Page Six
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